‘1 billion’ could become infected worldwide – report

LONDON - One billion people could become infected with the coronavirus worldwide unless vulnerable countries are given urgent help, an aid group has warned.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said financial and humanitarian aid were needed to help slow the global spread of the virus.

It said “fragile countries” such as Afghanistan and Syria needed “urgent funding” to avoid a major outbreak.

“There remains a small window of time to mount a robust response,” it warned.

There have been more than 3m confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide with more than 200, 000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.

The IRC’s report, which is based on models and data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Imperial College London, estimated there could be between 500m and 1bn infections globally.

It also said there could be more than 3m deaths across dozens of conflict-affected and unstable countries.

“These numbers should serve as a wake-up call,” said the head of the IRC, David Miliband. “The full, devastating and disproportionate weight of this pandemic has yet to be felt in the world’s most fragile and war-torn countries,” he added. “The key now is for donors to urgently put flexible funding behind frontline efforts. “Governments must work together to remove any impediment to humanitarian assistance.” Meanwhile, Britain is on track to become one of Europe’s worst-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic, according to data yesterday that showed deaths from Covid-19 had already topped 20, 000 by April 17, including a fast-rising toll in care homes.